Directed by Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud
Screenplay by Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud, Philippe Lejuste
Director of photography: Gilberto Azevedo
Music by Francesco Accolla
Cast: Fadhal Zahiri, Julian Negulesco, Éva Darlan, Vincent Grass, Christian Maillet
Genre: drama

Bodgar, the excitable Pole, and Youssef, the morose Arab, arrive on the same boat to Dover on New Year’s Eve 1980. At border control both are turned back but since midnight has struck their visas have also expired and consequently they are not allowed to land on the other side, in Belgium. Suspended on board the ship between two worlds, they have fallen into a strange trap and slowly come to realize that in this situation they can only rely upon each other. Crossing Over is the famous Tunisian-Belgian director Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud’s first feature film. It draws on his own experiences for the plotline. The masterfully handled psychological background and the mix of absurd and lyrical elements make this film particularly memorable.

Cinémathèque royale de Belgique, Belgium

Supporting film: Refuge England